Matthijs and I sometimes have odd conversations. The most recent was a result of my asking about who he'd want to dress up as if he could dress up as his favourite saint. The following is what came up as a result of that question:
- George (the one who killed the dragon to rescue the virgins) would be a good fit for me. Jerry, my cat, could play the dragon. He qualifies as a (small) terror, and we could successfully cage him. The only challenge is how much noise he might make in his cage.
- I would be okay with the wife of Luther. She seems like she was independant and opinionated enough for me to like her.
- Being opinionated also characterizes Luther well. Did you know there's a Luther insult generator: http://ergofabulous.org/luther/
- I think I'd also like Clare, who I recently read started both a female and a male monastery.
- Matthijs is not entirely convinced I'd make a good Mother Theresa - most likely related to my over-appreciation of stubborn-ness in saints (thus perhaps Dorothy Day is a better fit?)
- what about Bonatius (sorry, Bonifatius), the saint who got killed by the (pagan) Frisians, after cutting down their sacred tree? (Matthijs was all for that one, although only after he corrected me on his exact name)?
- what about Theresa of Avila? of Saint Catharine?
- saints are actually kind of boring to dress up like. After all, they all kind of look the same (because of the monastic habits).
- would cross-dressing be okay if one was dressing up like a saint? Some of the best ones seem to be from the other gender.
- maybe I should blog this conversation....
And that just gives you a glimpse of another evening conversation at the Kronemeijers.
Showing posts with label ramble. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ramble. Show all posts
02 November 2013
05 July 2012
Jerry, my knight in shining armor.
Very early this morning, I was woken up by a mosquito. My arms were itchy, and there was this stupid buzzing around my head.
So I got up and put some water on my arms. Then I crawled back in bed and covered myself as much I could with the sheet. At least I wouldn't get bitten anymore. But it was too warm, and the buzzing wouldn't go away. And I couldn't seem to hit and kill the mosquito. I obviously wasn't awake enough to think of turning the light on so I could actually see it first. Instead, I was just lying there awake being semi-miserable.
And along came Jerry - back from his nightly jaunt through the apartment building. He came to check if I was still in bed, and he discovered the mosquito. A wonderful tasty, buzzing, easy-to-find mosquito. Whack. Instead of tormenting me, the mosquito was now running for its life. Jerry had entertainment, and I could fall asleep thinking about how great cats are...
So I got up and put some water on my arms. Then I crawled back in bed and covered myself as much I could with the sheet. At least I wouldn't get bitten anymore. But it was too warm, and the buzzing wouldn't go away. And I couldn't seem to hit and kill the mosquito. I obviously wasn't awake enough to think of turning the light on so I could actually see it first. Instead, I was just lying there awake being semi-miserable.
And along came Jerry - back from his nightly jaunt through the apartment building. He came to check if I was still in bed, and he discovered the mosquito. A wonderful tasty, buzzing, easy-to-find mosquito. Whack. Instead of tormenting me, the mosquito was now running for its life. Jerry had entertainment, and I could fall asleep thinking about how great cats are...
07 June 2012
and that was May
The following are some of the statistics in my life from April 26 until today:
- number of days spent travelling - approximately 4; of which about 28 hours were spent in airports or planes, 30 hours in a car or van, 4 hours on a bus, and about 15 hours in a train.
- countries visited - Canada, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, United States and Germany (the last two don't really count since it was only an airport).
- number of nights not spent sleeping with Matthijs - 17 - mostly because of my visit to Canada, although a few nights are because of work things that Matthijs has had to attend.
- number of different places Matthijs and I have slept - 9 - the visit to France, conferences and my visit to Canada all make for a lot of different places to sleep.
- hours on a bike: maybe 20 - it's been a really bad month in that regard - fortunately, I've been walking tons so I don't feel super unhealthy.
- number of loads of laundry I've done - probably 20 - it's also been a bad month in that regard - it feels like at least one load every other day.
- cities and/or major attractions visited: Toronto, Hamilton, Strathroy, St. Thomas, Chatham, Cluny, Deventer, Kampen, Taizé, Haarlem, Zaanse Schans.
- read/completed morning and/or evening prayer almost every day - taken from the lay person's variation of the monastic daily offices (in Dutch)
- number of out-of-town visitors - 5 (but only 2 tours of Amsterdam given) - May is the month to visit :)
- number of guests for dinner - only 6 (the 20+ nights of one or both of us not being home might relate to that).
- less than 20 hours in church and chapel - this is actually really low (4 hours are from church services last Sunday!) mostly because I haven't been at chapel often - either because I was away or because I preferred not being around other people much.
- hours worked - way too few.
- books read - at least 10 - noteable have been Berlin's Dynamics of Parallelism, Dossier Vrouwenhandel, Genova's Vrouwen te Koop, Bessenecker's the New Friars, Mosterd's Echte mannen eten geen kaas and novels by Lynn Austin and Steven James.
- average temperature - too cold or too warm. Honestly, we had a couple of days that were 30+ degrees and super-humid so that the house was almost unbearably stuffy, and in France we were freezing - the temperature at night getting down to less than 5 degrees!
For the most part, it's an impressive list (that's also partly because I cheated and counted about 45 days, instead of 30!).
So what are my hopes/wishes for June (and July)?
- more time biking!
- less travelling
- at least as many books read, including more on human trafficking, information visualization, Foster's the Freedom of Simplicity, and finishing up the book on parallelism.
- more time writing and working behind my computer
- less time away from my own bed (Matthijs, too :))
- more dinner guests and more eating at home, in general.
- and lots of laughter - 'cause one can never have too much!!
- number of days spent travelling - approximately 4; of which about 28 hours were spent in airports or planes, 30 hours in a car or van, 4 hours on a bus, and about 15 hours in a train.
- countries visited - Canada, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, United States and Germany (the last two don't really count since it was only an airport).
- number of nights not spent sleeping with Matthijs - 17 - mostly because of my visit to Canada, although a few nights are because of work things that Matthijs has had to attend.
- number of different places Matthijs and I have slept - 9 - the visit to France, conferences and my visit to Canada all make for a lot of different places to sleep.
- hours on a bike: maybe 20 - it's been a really bad month in that regard - fortunately, I've been walking tons so I don't feel super unhealthy.
- number of loads of laundry I've done - probably 20 - it's also been a bad month in that regard - it feels like at least one load every other day.
- cities and/or major attractions visited: Toronto, Hamilton, Strathroy, St. Thomas, Chatham, Cluny, Deventer, Kampen, Taizé, Haarlem, Zaanse Schans.
- read/completed morning and/or evening prayer almost every day - taken from the lay person's variation of the monastic daily offices (in Dutch)
- number of out-of-town visitors - 5 (but only 2 tours of Amsterdam given) - May is the month to visit :)
- number of guests for dinner - only 6 (the 20+ nights of one or both of us not being home might relate to that).
- less than 20 hours in church and chapel - this is actually really low (4 hours are from church services last Sunday!) mostly because I haven't been at chapel often - either because I was away or because I preferred not being around other people much.
- hours worked - way too few.
- books read - at least 10 - noteable have been Berlin's Dynamics of Parallelism, Dossier Vrouwenhandel, Genova's Vrouwen te Koop, Bessenecker's the New Friars, Mosterd's Echte mannen eten geen kaas and novels by Lynn Austin and Steven James.
- average temperature - too cold or too warm. Honestly, we had a couple of days that were 30+ degrees and super-humid so that the house was almost unbearably stuffy, and in France we were freezing - the temperature at night getting down to less than 5 degrees!
For the most part, it's an impressive list (that's also partly because I cheated and counted about 45 days, instead of 30!).
So what are my hopes/wishes for June (and July)?
- more time biking!
- less travelling
- at least as many books read, including more on human trafficking, information visualization, Foster's the Freedom of Simplicity, and finishing up the book on parallelism.
- more time writing and working behind my computer
- less time away from my own bed (Matthijs, too :))
- more dinner guests and more eating at home, in general.
- and lots of laughter - 'cause one can never have too much!!
02 November 2011
People are fascinating
I remember reading a study years ago about how often people would push the button to open the handicapped-access doors instead of actually physically opening the door. The frequency was surprisingly high. In certain places, this action was so normal that there was actually comments made about how laziness was not actually one of the physical inabilities that would cause one to need to use a handicapped-access door. Discussion also included how opening the doors with the button was a waste of energy for those healthy enough actually to open the doors.
Last Friday I sat in the hall of the Utrecht University waiting for Matthijs. In front of me was one of those buttons - and since it'd been so long since I'd seen such a button to open the handicapped-access doors, I was immediately curious. Who would press the button and who wouldn't?
Many of the students did not, in fact, press the button.... but that's only because one of their friends had pressed it, or someone immediately before them had pressed it.
Of the approximately 20 percent of people who physically touched the doors, more than half of them did so because the door that had previously been open unexpectedly started closing before they were through.
Matthijs came to get me after about 5 minutes (fyi: he did actually open the door physically). I wouldn't say he had to drag me away, but he certainly had to spend some time listening to me enthusiastically talk about the brief scientific study I had done on the door-opening. I have no doubt that I could have cheerfully stayed there for another half hour (and would have succumbed to pulling out on my pen to record things more scientifically). I just find people so fascinating.
Last Friday I sat in the hall of the Utrecht University waiting for Matthijs. In front of me was one of those buttons - and since it'd been so long since I'd seen such a button to open the handicapped-access doors, I was immediately curious. Who would press the button and who wouldn't?
Many of the students did not, in fact, press the button.... but that's only because one of their friends had pressed it, or someone immediately before them had pressed it.
Of the approximately 20 percent of people who physically touched the doors, more than half of them did so because the door that had previously been open unexpectedly started closing before they were through.
Matthijs came to get me after about 5 minutes (fyi: he did actually open the door physically). I wouldn't say he had to drag me away, but he certainly had to spend some time listening to me enthusiastically talk about the brief scientific study I had done on the door-opening. I have no doubt that I could have cheerfully stayed there for another half hour (and would have succumbed to pulling out on my pen to record things more scientifically). I just find people so fascinating.
23 September 2011
my four-legged alarm clock
Although more than enough is happening in my head and heart (and in the life of the Kronemeijers in general), I'm not sure yet how to put it into words. I've been dreaming and wondering about what's best in a lot of things:
- how do we best show hospitality in our new place (and what do we need still to fix up?),
- how (much) I get involved in the community,
- what should I spend my energy on academically,
- is my hope of finishing my dissertation by May next year really attainable (I think so),
- what do I do to prepare for the "next" after the dissertation (i.e., what academic projects do I get begin to get involved in already now), and so on.
I haven't finished processing yet, and so I'm not sure what to say - although hopefully it will come sooner rather than later.
Until then, however, I leave you with a normal incident in the life of the Kronemeijers.
The alarm clock at our house goes off at 6:30 a.m. Matthijs gets up and showers while I sometimes read (although I often just roll over and doze until it's time for breakfast). However, I'm usually awake before the alarm clock, as I have my own personal alarm clock: one with four legs and a rather loud voice. Usually around 6 in the morning, although sometimes he waits until 6:30, the cat stands in front of the bedroom door and starts meowing. I have no idea why he meows then (perhaps we don't hear him earlier in the night, and he's noticed that, or perhaps he hears us begin to move as we enter the final phases of sleep?). The fact that I often get up and open the door for him probably would be considered encouragement for his action - but I don't generally mind. Petting the cat is a nice relaxing way to adjust to the fact that it's morning. Leaving the door open at night does solve the meowing problem - he seems to meow only because he knows we're there and he can't get to us (when he can get to us, he doesn't meow - and he usually stays outside unless I call him in). But the noise from the street (the window is always open) makes that a less ideal option, and so I'm left with my four-legged alarm clock. On the bright side, we'll probably never sleep in now - except, of course, if the cat is trapped downstairs in the sports hall or he catches a mouse and is himself sleeping in.....
- how do we best show hospitality in our new place (and what do we need still to fix up?),
- how (much) I get involved in the community,
- what should I spend my energy on academically,
- is my hope of finishing my dissertation by May next year really attainable (I think so),
- what do I do to prepare for the "next" after the dissertation (i.e., what academic projects do I get begin to get involved in already now), and so on.
I haven't finished processing yet, and so I'm not sure what to say - although hopefully it will come sooner rather than later.
Until then, however, I leave you with a normal incident in the life of the Kronemeijers.
The alarm clock at our house goes off at 6:30 a.m. Matthijs gets up and showers while I sometimes read (although I often just roll over and doze until it's time for breakfast). However, I'm usually awake before the alarm clock, as I have my own personal alarm clock: one with four legs and a rather loud voice. Usually around 6 in the morning, although sometimes he waits until 6:30, the cat stands in front of the bedroom door and starts meowing. I have no idea why he meows then (perhaps we don't hear him earlier in the night, and he's noticed that, or perhaps he hears us begin to move as we enter the final phases of sleep?). The fact that I often get up and open the door for him probably would be considered encouragement for his action - but I don't generally mind. Petting the cat is a nice relaxing way to adjust to the fact that it's morning. Leaving the door open at night does solve the meowing problem - he seems to meow only because he knows we're there and he can't get to us (when he can get to us, he doesn't meow - and he usually stays outside unless I call him in). But the noise from the street (the window is always open) makes that a less ideal option, and so I'm left with my four-legged alarm clock. On the bright side, we'll probably never sleep in now - except, of course, if the cat is trapped downstairs in the sports hall or he catches a mouse and is himself sleeping in.....
05 September 2011
When the cat's away, the mice will play...
Or when the husband's gone, the wife will ....?
Matthijs is in Birmingham, England for five days at a conference (10 years after 9-11, peace and war and disarmament). And so I'm home alone, being tempted by all the things I could do while the husband is away...
- I could spend money! Those of you who know me well know that I'm one of the cheapest people I know - I seem to be especially fond of not spending money. But I have managed to spend 20 euros extra during his absence - and I was even the one who suggested we buy the concert ticket deal last weekend along with several books... but I think it's merely a healthy sign that I'm finally relaxing somewhat when it comes to money.
- I could let the cat sleep with me! I warned Matthijs that this was the natural consequence of his being absent at night. Unfortunately for me, either the cat senses Matthijs's disapproval even during his absence, or the cat's simply only interested in the bed if the door's closed and he can't get in.
And so instead, I'm just trying to enjoy the freedom of being alone: like eating lots of pasta and letting the laundry hang too long and the dirty dishes pile up and reading lots. And using the change of pace to get around to some of those things that I've been meaning to do for awhile (which has been moderately successful).
However, unlike the mice for whom the return of the cat causes problems, I'm happily looking forward to the return of Matthijs, even as I'm hoping still to get more of my projects completed!
Matthijs is in Birmingham, England for five days at a conference (10 years after 9-11, peace and war and disarmament). And so I'm home alone, being tempted by all the things I could do while the husband is away...
- I could spend money! Those of you who know me well know that I'm one of the cheapest people I know - I seem to be especially fond of not spending money. But I have managed to spend 20 euros extra during his absence - and I was even the one who suggested we buy the concert ticket deal last weekend along with several books... but I think it's merely a healthy sign that I'm finally relaxing somewhat when it comes to money.
- I could let the cat sleep with me! I warned Matthijs that this was the natural consequence of his being absent at night. Unfortunately for me, either the cat senses Matthijs's disapproval even during his absence, or the cat's simply only interested in the bed if the door's closed and he can't get in.
And so instead, I'm just trying to enjoy the freedom of being alone: like eating lots of pasta and letting the laundry hang too long and the dirty dishes pile up and reading lots. And using the change of pace to get around to some of those things that I've been meaning to do for awhile (which has been moderately successful).
However, unlike the mice for whom the return of the cat causes problems, I'm happily looking forward to the return of Matthijs, even as I'm hoping still to get more of my projects completed!
20 June 2011
Life lessons for a cat
The other day, I heard my cat meowing its head off on the balcony. Often when we've been gone for awhile, it likes to go outside and meow. I joke that it's his way of expressing his dislike of being so long home alone. But as we'd been home most of the day, I figured this time it had to be something else - so I went out and checked. The cat from the neighbours downstairs was on their balcony - and Jerry was adamantly trying to have a conversation with him. The other cat, however, just stood there looking at him. And I couldn't help but feel bad for my cat - and I wondered how I could explain to Jerry that no matter how wonderful he is, sometimes others just won't be interested in being friends with him.
But the life lessons only continued! As I went upstairs yesterday and Jerry had greeted my home coming with enthusiastic meows, I heard a different meowing - and I realized that it came from the neighbour cat. And I thought to myself, "hmmm, when it suits you (i.e., you're bored or lonely), you're interested in talking but otherwise not." And how could I explain to Jerry that others might use him when it suits them?
And then I realized that life lessons for a cat are different than those for people. Jerry's a cat. He just likes meowing. What does he really care if he gets an answer to his meows? The only reason Jerry's even interested in the neighbour cat is as a potential distraction/toy. He just wants food and attention and a good place to sleep and he's happy. And he'll probably meow to tell you that :)
But the life lessons only continued! As I went upstairs yesterday and Jerry had greeted my home coming with enthusiastic meows, I heard a different meowing - and I realized that it came from the neighbour cat. And I thought to myself, "hmmm, when it suits you (i.e., you're bored or lonely), you're interested in talking but otherwise not." And how could I explain to Jerry that others might use him when it suits them?
And then I realized that life lessons for a cat are different than those for people. Jerry's a cat. He just likes meowing. What does he really care if he gets an answer to his meows? The only reason Jerry's even interested in the neighbour cat is as a potential distraction/toy. He just wants food and attention and a good place to sleep and he's happy. And he'll probably meow to tell you that :)
31 March 2011
What happens when you don't watch television?
Matthijs and I don't really watch television - so how do we waste our time and unwind? Mostly we play games together - but sometimes we do other random things, like finding the quirks in national anthems (the cause was my last blog which featured the Dutch national anthem). A little searching on wikipedia and you bump quickly into the following:
Did you know that Canada has an inuit version of the Canadian anthem? And that there were lyric changes made in 1990 (more than 20 years ago - and I still don't know them [and never see them]?)
Or do you know how often the American anthem is sung poorly? Not surprising - since only the best singers have both a range from a b flat (just below middle c) to a high f and can make the strange jumps between notes necessary to sing it well.
Yet, as unsingable as the American anthem is, the Belgian one is probably worse - not because of all the jumps - but because of all the random short and long notes. Even Matthijs couldn't sightread that one!
Or have you noticed how exceptionally Calvinistic the Hungarian anthem is in its talking about how they've suffered enough for their sins?
Or that the Ukrainian anthem is one of the best anthems to have for football (soccer) games? It's definitely better than the British's "God save the queen."
Or what about the Polish anthem with its rather optimistic viewpoint that Poland starts somewhere in Italy?
I guess television is also entertaining, but a random evening with little immediate cause appeals to me more :)
Anyone have other suggestions to add to this list of anthem quirkiness?
Did you know that Canada has an inuit version of the Canadian anthem? And that there were lyric changes made in 1990 (more than 20 years ago - and I still don't know them [and never see them]?)
Or do you know how often the American anthem is sung poorly? Not surprising - since only the best singers have both a range from a b flat (just below middle c) to a high f and can make the strange jumps between notes necessary to sing it well.
Yet, as unsingable as the American anthem is, the Belgian one is probably worse - not because of all the jumps - but because of all the random short and long notes. Even Matthijs couldn't sightread that one!
Or have you noticed how exceptionally Calvinistic the Hungarian anthem is in its talking about how they've suffered enough for their sins?
Or that the Ukrainian anthem is one of the best anthems to have for football (soccer) games? It's definitely better than the British's "God save the queen."
Or what about the Polish anthem with its rather optimistic viewpoint that Poland starts somewhere in Italy?
I guess television is also entertaining, but a random evening with little immediate cause appeals to me more :)
Anyone have other suggestions to add to this list of anthem quirkiness?
18 September 2009
external vs internal motivation
as i've mentioned more often, i like feeling productive. because of that, my internal motivation to do things is pretty high. the problem is that i get distracted - a lot (living in community helps provide lots of productive distractions, too). i'm almost always doing something - it's just not necessarily the best thing to do. (like blogging on a friday afternoon - but then i question what really is best: is my taking a break to blog and sort through my thoughts before working further on Ezekiel just an excuse not to work or is it a good way to re-group so that i can work better? i don't know.)
and much of the time, i'm not unhappy with how i get things done or not done. it usually works out okay - my house is cleaner when other things need doing - and my academic stuff gets more attention when i'm tired of people, and so on. but there is one area that i'm not so thrilled about - the dissertation/phd thing. it's starting to get to be time to be further on my dissertation. my desire to be moving closer to done is a relatively decent internal motivation. but with all the potential distractions i can find, some external motivation doesn't hurt.
so i figured i'd sign up to present my proposal next friday at the phd. seminar. there's nothing quite like a good solid deadline, a need for a paper presetnation, and a lot of questioning ph.d. students to provide external motivation to put something solid together. and hopefully this can tweak the work i've been doing on the first two chapters, which is pretty rough still.
and after the seminar, you can ask me how it's going with the dissertation. i might look annoyed with you (especially if i've been disappointed with how much i've done on it) but it will provide me further motivation. and if i look too annoyed, you can always remind me that i did ask for it.
and much of the time, i'm not unhappy with how i get things done or not done. it usually works out okay - my house is cleaner when other things need doing - and my academic stuff gets more attention when i'm tired of people, and so on. but there is one area that i'm not so thrilled about - the dissertation/phd thing. it's starting to get to be time to be further on my dissertation. my desire to be moving closer to done is a relatively decent internal motivation. but with all the potential distractions i can find, some external motivation doesn't hurt.
so i figured i'd sign up to present my proposal next friday at the phd. seminar. there's nothing quite like a good solid deadline, a need for a paper presetnation, and a lot of questioning ph.d. students to provide external motivation to put something solid together. and hopefully this can tweak the work i've been doing on the first two chapters, which is pretty rough still.
and after the seminar, you can ask me how it's going with the dissertation. i might look annoyed with you (especially if i've been disappointed with how much i've done on it) but it will provide me further motivation. and if i look too annoyed, you can always remind me that i did ask for it.
28 March 2009
i generally like doing my taxes
i'm aware that i'm unusual in that i generally like filling in my tax returns.
that doesn't always mean that i've filled in as many tax returns over the years as i could have (if i ever move back to Canada i'll have to learn a lot very quickly about filing for previous years - and find out where i used to store all tax-related information).
but it's like a big puzzle, where you have to figure out what goes into all the little boxes. with computers and the invention of online filing, they do all the math for you and copy from one box to another - which is kind of handy (especially when it gives you error messages about technical impossibilities due to typing something in wrong). and even handier are the little info boxes that you can click on to tell you whether this line applies to you and exactly what should go in the box. and with online/computer filing, it's a lot easier to get to the end and see if you won. 'cause even if the best part of puzzles is the feeling of accomplishment, feeling like you won something helps out a lot, too.
and when it comes to taxes, i usually win. i don't make a lot of money, and when i do, it tends to be short, random and overtaxed (at the time). and i think it's important to give money away to others, so i try to do that a lot. and i live in countries that encourage giving and socialism. and thus, i've never filed taxes where i didn't at least get some money back. and this year looks to be a pretty good year for getting money back (and i haven't even attempted the US taxes yet - i think i'll ask for some help there). no wonder i like doing my taxes, eh? the question now is, what should i do with this tax return gift? me and God have been talking about it a bit - and besides the bottomless pit of my old student loans, seeing a bit more of Europe with people i enjoy being with sounds pretty good to me :)
that doesn't always mean that i've filled in as many tax returns over the years as i could have (if i ever move back to Canada i'll have to learn a lot very quickly about filing for previous years - and find out where i used to store all tax-related information).
but it's like a big puzzle, where you have to figure out what goes into all the little boxes. with computers and the invention of online filing, they do all the math for you and copy from one box to another - which is kind of handy (especially when it gives you error messages about technical impossibilities due to typing something in wrong). and even handier are the little info boxes that you can click on to tell you whether this line applies to you and exactly what should go in the box. and with online/computer filing, it's a lot easier to get to the end and see if you won. 'cause even if the best part of puzzles is the feeling of accomplishment, feeling like you won something helps out a lot, too.
and when it comes to taxes, i usually win. i don't make a lot of money, and when i do, it tends to be short, random and overtaxed (at the time). and i think it's important to give money away to others, so i try to do that a lot. and i live in countries that encourage giving and socialism. and thus, i've never filed taxes where i didn't at least get some money back. and this year looks to be a pretty good year for getting money back (and i haven't even attempted the US taxes yet - i think i'll ask for some help there). no wonder i like doing my taxes, eh? the question now is, what should i do with this tax return gift? me and God have been talking about it a bit - and besides the bottomless pit of my old student loans, seeing a bit more of Europe with people i enjoy being with sounds pretty good to me :)
18 December 2008
Amsterdam to Toronto
My flight left late enough and packing was so easy that I could set out breakfast, go to chapel, and drink a coffee before catching the train. I'd checked in online before leaving (i figured it wouldn't hurt to try), so instead of waiting in a line of 30 people, i had only 3 people before me. I had enough time left over to buy Christmas presents for my nieces and still be early through security for my plane!
The flight to Washington was tolerable. It was 8.5 hours with limited sitting positions and limited things to do and plane food – so even though the airline nicely bumped me up to a slightly better seat, i wouldn't exactly call it pleasant.
We were late coming in – a strong wind. I had a shorter layover and i'd never done customs in Washington before so i was unsure if i'd make my connection. And American immigration/customs aren't so great if you're not American – these lines are usually twice as long and twice as slow. And then through security again, just in case we'd taken something dangerous out of our checked luggage – it's not like any of us could have left the airport.
I was still standing in security when my plane was supposed to start boarding. 25 minutes before my plane was supposed to leave for good, i started running to catch the little shuttle that would take me to the right terminal. I arrived sweaty and out-of-breath at my gate to hear that they were just about to start boarding. So i went to wash my face and brush my teeth and fill my water bottle – when i was done, i heard last boarding call for Toronto – another adrenalin rush! My seatmate was also hot and sweaty from running – she'd been on the same plane from Amsterdam.
In Toronto i discovered that my luggage hadn't moved quite as quickly as i had – it was still stuck in Washington. But customs had been short and simple (and i had clean clothes in my carry-on), so no problem. I was just about home with friends – and my trip was finished, so I was happy.
The flight to Washington was tolerable. It was 8.5 hours with limited sitting positions and limited things to do and plane food – so even though the airline nicely bumped me up to a slightly better seat, i wouldn't exactly call it pleasant.
We were late coming in – a strong wind. I had a shorter layover and i'd never done customs in Washington before so i was unsure if i'd make my connection. And American immigration/customs aren't so great if you're not American – these lines are usually twice as long and twice as slow. And then through security again, just in case we'd taken something dangerous out of our checked luggage – it's not like any of us could have left the airport.
I was still standing in security when my plane was supposed to start boarding. 25 minutes before my plane was supposed to leave for good, i started running to catch the little shuttle that would take me to the right terminal. I arrived sweaty and out-of-breath at my gate to hear that they were just about to start boarding. So i went to wash my face and brush my teeth and fill my water bottle – when i was done, i heard last boarding call for Toronto – another adrenalin rush! My seatmate was also hot and sweaty from running – she'd been on the same plane from Amsterdam.
In Toronto i discovered that my luggage hadn't moved quite as quickly as i had – it was still stuck in Washington. But customs had been short and simple (and i had clean clothes in my carry-on), so no problem. I was just about home with friends – and my trip was finished, so I was happy.
03 December 2008
brenda vs. the work computer
my computer has been unkind to me in the past (by losing my data or crashing the program). even though it's been frustrating, it's been generally minor. but on friday, we got into a serious fight.
it began when it wouldn't let me login. i went to the opening screen, typed in my name, typed in my password, and then got rebooted to the opening screen again. hmmm. must have typed in something wrong. after trying again (a couple of times) and noticing there was no error message but still i got the opening screen, i gave up. turns out there's a random network misfunction in my computer - so i moved to another person's computer. no problems there.
and then, i ran the data program in Ezekiel 1. or at least tried to. after it crashed (and deleted some of my data in the process), i forced it to crash in a different chapter (after saving all my data) - so i could find the problem. i found the problem file. i backed it up and deleted it - and then tried the program again. no success (it remade the faulty file). so i modified the faulty file somewhat. still no success. so i gave up - our computer expert had bumped into the same problem (so it was bigger than just a faulty file in my system) and was working on it. but i could just prune the faulty file and try anyways. and after tricking the system with a much shorter copy of the faulty file, it worked again. and i was back to crunching data.
and at the end of my fight with my computer, i feel like i won. sure, i lost data - but my understanding of the program and system is good enough now to know generally how to work around whatever it throws at me.... [hopefully :)]
it began when it wouldn't let me login. i went to the opening screen, typed in my name, typed in my password, and then got rebooted to the opening screen again. hmmm. must have typed in something wrong. after trying again (a couple of times) and noticing there was no error message but still i got the opening screen, i gave up. turns out there's a random network misfunction in my computer - so i moved to another person's computer. no problems there.
and then, i ran the data program in Ezekiel 1. or at least tried to. after it crashed (and deleted some of my data in the process), i forced it to crash in a different chapter (after saving all my data) - so i could find the problem. i found the problem file. i backed it up and deleted it - and then tried the program again. no success (it remade the faulty file). so i modified the faulty file somewhat. still no success. so i gave up - our computer expert had bumped into the same problem (so it was bigger than just a faulty file in my system) and was working on it. but i could just prune the faulty file and try anyways. and after tricking the system with a much shorter copy of the faulty file, it worked again. and i was back to crunching data.
and at the end of my fight with my computer, i feel like i won. sure, i lost data - but my understanding of the program and system is good enough now to know generally how to work around whatever it throws at me.... [hopefully :)]
12 May 2008
one way to get organized
i'm not a naturally organized person. i have some system of organization but it generally involves piles and zones and a decent memory of what i've done with things and quite frequent prayers over something that i've once again misplaced. and i like keeping things because i think they might one day be helpful; since i've been in school most of my life, this tends to result in having a lot of papers. and i love books and can get them fairly cheap much of the time, so i have a phenomenal number of those, too.
i still tend towards numerous piles and papers in random places and am a bit of a pack-rat but a couple of things have forced slightly more organization:
- the biggest is probably moving. there's nothing quite like having to put everything into boxes to encourage cleaning up and throwing things out (it also helps me remember what books i have and for what use they might be helpful). and since in the last 6 months i've flown across the ocean 3 times (once more still to come), lived in 2 different places (neither of which contain the majority of my books and paraphernalia - which are stored at my parents) and semi-moved each of those times - including a couple of trips to my parents to move some of my stuff around, i feel forced a bit more organized. if nothing else, i'm getting really, really good at packing and knowing what i really have a problem living without (and discovering what i'd forgot i owned - and realize i don't really need).
- another big one is sharing space with other people. when my messiness starts negatively affecting somebody else's life, then i should do something about it. and if my room can be visited by anyone, then it has to be in a certain state where the chairs can be sat upon, i can make a cup of tea (without surreptitiously having to check the cleanliness of the mugs first), and i can provide a comfortable space where my visitors need not be completely distracted by my piles.
- and the last has to do with frustration. after losing and misplacing my keys for the ka-zillionth time, they are now on a lanyard (the official name for the cloth string that you can hang around your neck and attach things to) - and no matter where i am, there's a place where they ought to be (and if they're not there, the lanyard helps me find them). i'd still have to say it was one of my more useful ideas that i've come across.
i don't think i'll ever qualify as neat (although i'd probably qualify as clean when it comes to kitchens and bathrooms and other spaces that have to be shared and where there's a potential for lots of nasty germs). but i am getting more organized - or at least more competent and versatile in my semi-organization :)
i still tend towards numerous piles and papers in random places and am a bit of a pack-rat but a couple of things have forced slightly more organization:
- the biggest is probably moving. there's nothing quite like having to put everything into boxes to encourage cleaning up and throwing things out (it also helps me remember what books i have and for what use they might be helpful). and since in the last 6 months i've flown across the ocean 3 times (once more still to come), lived in 2 different places (neither of which contain the majority of my books and paraphernalia - which are stored at my parents) and semi-moved each of those times - including a couple of trips to my parents to move some of my stuff around, i feel forced a bit more organized. if nothing else, i'm getting really, really good at packing and knowing what i really have a problem living without (and discovering what i'd forgot i owned - and realize i don't really need).
- another big one is sharing space with other people. when my messiness starts negatively affecting somebody else's life, then i should do something about it. and if my room can be visited by anyone, then it has to be in a certain state where the chairs can be sat upon, i can make a cup of tea (without surreptitiously having to check the cleanliness of the mugs first), and i can provide a comfortable space where my visitors need not be completely distracted by my piles.
- and the last has to do with frustration. after losing and misplacing my keys for the ka-zillionth time, they are now on a lanyard (the official name for the cloth string that you can hang around your neck and attach things to) - and no matter where i am, there's a place where they ought to be (and if they're not there, the lanyard helps me find them). i'd still have to say it was one of my more useful ideas that i've come across.
i don't think i'll ever qualify as neat (although i'd probably qualify as clean when it comes to kitchens and bathrooms and other spaces that have to be shared and where there's a potential for lots of nasty germs). but i am getting more organized - or at least more competent and versatile in my semi-organization :)
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